Baseball pitcher&#39;s aid



July 13, 1965 G. R. VINSON v BASEBALL PITCHER'S AID Filed Aug. 16, 1962 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,194,556 BASEBALL PITCHERS AHD George R. Vinson, E. 4302 6th, Spokane, Wash. Filed Aug. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 218,217 2 Claims. (Cl. 27326) This invention is a device designed to catch a baseball, indicate to the pitcher whether he has thrown a ball or a strike and also throw the ball back to the pitcher.

An object of the invention is to provide a baseball pitchers aid which is simple in construction, easy to use, well adapted for its intended purpose and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a baseball thrower which will throw the ball back to the pitcher and automatically shut itself off.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for a baseball pitcher to practice without the need of another player to catch and return the ball to him.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIGURE 1 is an orthographic frontal view of my invention showing its various parts and their relationship.

FIGURE 2 is an orthographic side view of my invention showing the same features as FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed external isometric view of my invention showing the ball throwing housing and its driving mechanism.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded isometric projection of the ball throwing housing showing its rear parts.

Parts 12 in FIGURE 1 are springy, florescent painted, wires, which if disturbed will indicate a ball, if undisturbed will indicate a strike.

When the ball 18 enters the catcher it will strike the canvas back 5 and fall down onto the gravity ball return 4, then roll down into the thrower housing 2. As it rolls into the thrower 2 is will press down the switch 9, which will start the electric motor 3. Then the electric motor 3 will rotate the pulley 8. Then the belt will turn the gears 16, and they in turn will rotate the springy steel throwers parts 6.

One of the springy steel throwers 6 will come in contact with the bumper 7. The thrower 6 must then bend somewhat in order to clear the bumper 7, when it clears the bumper 7 it will then have enough tension or spring to throw the ball 18. Once the ball 18 is thrown clear, the switch 9 will come up automatically shutting off the electric motor 3. The thrower 2 will be alined so that the 3,194,556 Patented July 13, 1965 "ice ball 18 will be thrown directly to the pitcher. The distance can be regulated by tipping the spout of the thrower 2 up or down.

The object of the invention is to provide a baseball pitchers aid, which is easy to build and will perform triple function of catching and indicating a strike or a ball returning the ball to the thrower.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus completely and fully described the invention, what is now claimed as new is as follows:

1. A baseball pitchers aid of the nature described comprising, in combination, a first peripheral tubular frame having inwardly projecting springy wires structurally communicating therewith so arranged as to leave a vacant center portion and adapted to indicate any disturbance thereof by passage of a ball therethrough; a canvas back carried by a peripheral frame communicating with the upper portion of said first frame and angularly disposed in a downward direction from said first frame; a trough-like ball return disposed below the lower portion of said canvas ball catcher and connected to a ball thrower, said return being angularly disposed to move a ball therealong by force of gravity; a ball thrower rotatably communicating with said ball return, adapted to receive a ball therefrom, comprising a housing having a tangentially extending spout, a centrally journalled two-arm resilient rotor, an inwardly extending bumper substantially at the lowest portion of said housing requiring some elastic deformation of said rotor to pass thereover, an electric motor having a pulley, a belt connecting the pulley and rotor to rotate said rotor and a normally open pressure-activated switch near the lower portion of said housing adapted to close to activate said motor, in response to presence of a ball, to throw said ball from said spout.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the said area unoccupied by springy wires substantially approximates the strike zone of an average baseball player.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 461,257 10/91 Buchanan 124-26 519,078 5/94 Wilson 273102 2,657,058 10/53 Mulcahy 27326 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BASEBALL PITCHER''S AID OF THE NATURE DESCRIBED COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST PERIPHERAL TUBULAR FRAME HAVING INWARDLY PROJECTING SPRINGY WIRES STRUCTURALLY COMMUNICATING THEREWITH SO ARRANGED AS TO LEAVE A VACANT CENTER PORTION AND ADAPTED TO INDICATE ANY DISTURBANCE THEREOF BY PASSAGE OF A BALL THERETHROUGH; A CANVAS BACK CARRIED BY A PERIPHERAL FRAME COMMUNICATING WITH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FIRST FRAME AND ANGULARLY DISPOSED IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION FROM SAID FIRST FRAME; A TROUGH-LIKE BALL RETURN DISPOSED BELOW THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CANVAS BALL CATCHER AND CONNECTED TO A BALL THROWER, SAID RETURN BEING ANGULARLY DISPOSED TO MOVE A BALL THEREALONG BY FORCE OF GRAVITY; A BALL THROWER ROTATABLY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BALL RETURN, ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A BALL THEREFROM, COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A TANGENTIALLY EXTENDING SPOUT, A CENTRALLY JOURNALLED TWO-ARM RESILIENT ROTOR, AN 